Mila Arbitman
Mila Arbitman
Class of 2025
Embedded Files
Project: The Disproportionate Effect of the Covid-19 Lockdown on Girls Math Education and Implications for the Gender Gap in Mathematics Careers
Project: The Disproportionate Effect of the Covid-19 Lockdown on Girls Math Education and Implications for the Gender Gap in Mathematics Careers
Mentor: Dr. Erin Hennes, University of Missouri
Mentor: Dr. Erin Hennes, University of Missouri
Entrant, Regeneron Science Talent Search ‘25
Entrant, New York-Metro Junior Science and Humanities Symposium ‘25
Entrant, Terra NYC STEM Fair ‘25
Previous research has shown that there is a significant gender gap in higher mathematics degrees and mathematics-based careers, meaning it is still a male-dominated field. Research has also found that high school math grades indicate whether or not a student will pursue a math career, and that the COVID-19 lockdown negatively affected math education in the United States. The impact of the lockdown on female vs male students has not been seriously studied, so we do not know if it has worsened the gender gap in test scores. If the gender gap did get worse, this might affect the gender gap in math careers when this generation reaches college and post-grad stages.
I analyzed math test scores of 8th graders separated by gender from before and after the lockdown to see if it impacted the gender gap. I found that the lockdown affected the gender gap in mathematics scores when analyzing both average test scores and high-scoring individuals, who are more likely to pursue a career in mathematics. If this increase in the gender gap persists, there may be a need for future educational interventions, which should be explored in future research.
[36x48] poster - Mila Arbitman.pdfQ & A with Mila
Q & A with Mila
What inspired you to choose this topic?
I have been in Honors math for 6 years, and every year, more and more girls dropped the class, and the ratio of boys to girls got worse and worse. I wanted to investigate why this happens and how it affects the gender gap in math careers, and it was only natural to look into how the lockdown affected girls in math as well.
Proudest accomplishment in ASR?
My proudest accomplishment was finding a new mentor and successfully starting a new project after switching topics at the beginning of junior year. It was intimidating to start over, but it ended up being the right decision for me and I am very glad I did it!
What influence did the older ASR classmates have on you?
My older ASR classmates had a lot of influence on me. They were always so encouraging and willing to help me that it made my journey with ASR a lot easier. They also always had tons of advice and tips for every assignment I had to do.
What were some of your fears and worries when you applied to ASR, and what would you say to younger students who have them?
I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough time on top of other school work to do my project, but it wasn’t too overwhelming because of how much time management skills we learned through the class. Plus, having class time to work on our project is very helpful.
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